Hypertension Detection and Treatment Program

High blood pressure in children is an increasing public health concern. Left untreated, children are at a higher risk for serious complications affecting the heart, kidneys, and overall health. Children with high blood pressure are more likely to have hypertension as adults.

Children with elevated blood pressure may have an underlying disorder, such as kidney disease or heart condition, such as coarctation of aorta (narrowing of the aorta), which are commonly associated as a complication of obesity.

The Importance of Pediatric Specialists

Because the cause of hypertension in young patients is often different from adults, it is important that your child sees a pediatric specialist with the expertise and experience to diagnose and treat the condition in children.

The Hypertension Detection and Treatment program is a specialized program coordinated through our Division of Nephrology. The program team works closely with Children's Nuclear Medicine Program and the Division of Cardiology to perform a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation to understand the cause of your child's elevated blood pressure.

We do everything possible to make your child comfortable, but recognize that a visit to the doctor can still bring about some anxiety for patients. As part of the diagnostic evaluation, we offer ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) for patients suspected to have "white coat hypertension" - when a visit to the doctor's causes an elevation in blood pressure.

Treatment and Continued Care

The staff of the Hypertension Detection and Treatment program works closely with the children and families to educate them about lifestyle changes that can help control blood pressure. Children meet with a dietician during every visit to discuss food choices and dietary changes that can help improve health.

Treatment for some forms of hypertension in children may require an interventional procedure, such as selective catheterization or angioplasty of the blood vessels of the kidney. If you child needs an interventional procedure, the program arranges for the procedure and follow-up care with our specialists.